WFXZ-CD

WFXZ-CD
Boston, Massachusetts
United States
Branding WFXZ 24
Channels Digital: 19 (UHF)
(shared with WGBH-TV; to move to VHF 5 in 2019 after digital repack)
Virtual: 24 (PSIP)
Affiliations
Owner WGBH Educational Foundation
Founded November 30, 1989
First air date 2000 (2000)
Sister station(s) WCRB, WGBH, WGBH-TV, WGBX-TV
Former callsigns
  • W29BA (1989–1999)
  • W24CM (1999–2000)
  • WVXN-LP (2000–2001)
  • WVXN-CA (2001–2003)
  • WFXZ-CA (2003–2010)
Former channel number(s)
  • Analog:
  • 24 (UHF, 2000–2010)
  • Digital:
  • 25 (UHF, 2010–2015)
  • 24 (UHF, 2015–2017)
Former affiliations
Transmitter power 700 kW
Height 374 m (1,227 ft)
Class Class A
Facility ID 64833
Transmitter coordinates 42°18′37″N 71°14′14″W / 42.31028°N 71.23722°W / 42.31028; -71.23722 (WFXZ-CD)Coordinates: 42°18′37″N 71°14′14″W / 42.31028°N 71.23722°W / 42.31028; -71.23722 (WFXZ-CD)
Licensing authority FCC
Public license information: Profile
CDBS
Website www.wfxz24.com

WFXZ-CD, virtual channel 24 (UHF digital channel 19), is the Biz TV-affiliated television station located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The station is owned by the WGBH Educational Foundation.[2] WFXZ-CD maintains studio facilities located in Woburn; its transmitter, shared with sister PBS member station WGBH-TV (channel 2) under a channel sharing agreement, is located at 350 Cedar Street (southwest of Interstate 95) in Needham.

History

Logo as MundoFox

The station's construction permit was originally granted on November 30, 1989 as W29BA, operating on channel 29, which would be licensed to nearby Lawrence.[3] However, by the time finally it signed on the air with a home shopping service in early 2000, it had moved to channel 24, was licensed to Boston and adopted the W24CM call sign.[4]

A few months later, channel 24 changed its call letters to WVXN-LP. In 2001, the station was upgraded to Class A status and dropped home shopping programming in favor of affiliating with MTV2.[5] The station changed its callsign to WFXZ-CA in 2003. In July 2006, the station became the Boston affiliate of the Azteca América network.[6]

WFXZ-CD logo under its second Azteca América affiliation

WFXZ flash-cut its signal to digital transmission in 2010. Longtime owner Randolph Weigner agreed to sell WFXZ to Prime Time Partners in December 2011.[2] The station became a charter MundoFox affiliate when the network formally launched on August 13, 2012,[7] with Azteca America programming moving to its second digital subchannel; it returned to primary status early on December 1, 2016 due to MundoFox ending operations (changing to MundoMax in its last year). During its affiliations with MundoFox/MundoMax and Azteca América, WFXZ-CD was carried on Comcast Xfinity digital channels 721 and 981, and Verizon FiOS channel 20.

In the FCC's incentive auction, WFXZ-CD sold its spectrum for $63,949,770 and indicated that it would enter into a post-auction channel sharing agreement.[8] On September 8, 2017, the station entered into a channel sharing agreement with WGBH-TV (channel 2); concurrently, Prime Time Partners agreed to donate the WFXZ license to the WGBH Educational Foundation.[9][10] WFXZ shut down its UHF digital channel 24 transmitter on December 3, 2017 and began channel-sharing on WGBH-TV's channel 19 transmitter;[11] WGBH's acquisition of the station was completed on December 21, 2017,[12] at which point the station dropped Azteca América for Biz TV. Concurrently, the station's carriage on Comcast Xfinity and Verizon FiOS was discontinued.

Digital television

Digital channels

Channel Video Aspect PSIP Short Name Programming[13]
24.1480i16:9WFXZMain WFXZ-CD programming / Biz TV

References

  1. ↑ Hope Channel in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Tampa! |accessdate=2014-12-14
  2. 1 2 "Boston Class A TV sold". Television Business Report. December 15, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Application Details (WFXZ-CA)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  4. ↑ Fybush, Scott (2000-04-07). ""Quick," What's On 93.5/93.9?". North East RadioWatch. The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  5. ↑ Fybush, Scott (2001-10-08). "Ackerley Signs Off". North East RadioWatch. The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  6. ↑ "Azteca America opens Boston station". Boston Business Journal. 2006-08-02. Retrieved 2006-11-06.
  7. ↑ Seyler, Dave (August 9, 2012). "MundoFOX adds four large markets". Television Business Report. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  8. ↑ "FCC Broadcast Television Spectrum Incentive Auction Auction 1001 Winning Bids" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. April 4, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Amendment to a Modification of a Licensed Facility for Digital Class A TV Station Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. October 11, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  10. ↑ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. October 25, 2017. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
  11. ↑ "NOTICE OF SUSPENSION OF OPERATIONS OF STATION WFXZ-CD ON PRE-AUCTION CHANNEL" (PDF). Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. November 30, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Notice. Federal Communications Commission. December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
  13. ↑ RabbitEars TV Query for WFXZ-CD
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.